What do you see when you look at the Al-Janoub World Cup stadium?
A 44,325 capacity arena that reportedly cost £481million to construct? Or a shining monument to a woman’s vagina? Depending on who you ask, you get different answers.
The stadium’s designer, the late Dame Zara Hadid, who was also involved in designing the Aquatics Centre at the London Olympics back in 2012, certainly didn’t see the resemblance.
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“It’s really embarrassing they come up with nonsense stuff like this,” she bit back at critics who pointed out that the ground did have an uncanny resemblance to female genitalia. “What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That’s ridiculous,” Hadid added.
The stadium is supposed to resemble the sails of traditional Dhow boats, used by pearl divers from the region. The curved roof is a reference to the area’s history of seafaring, while also supposedly giving spectators the feeling fn being on a ship.
Do you think the Al Janoub stadium looks like a vagina? Let us know in the comments section.
(Image: Getty Images,)
Indeed, the ground as a whole is reportedly supposed to represent upturned dhow hulls in a huddle to provide shade and shelter.
That’s all very well meaning, but there’s just no escaping the fact the stadium’s arching flaps and gaping centre resemble something altogether rather different.
Indeed, it’s a comparison that has not gone unnoticed on social media throughout the tournament. One person commented: “Why does the Al Janoub stadium look like a gaping vagina?”
Someone else said: “Why does the top of this Al-Janoub stadium look like a vagina?” A third person questioned: “Why does the Al Janoub Stadium in al-Wakra look like a vagina?”
While a fourth user eagle-eyed user chimed in with: “Vagina stadium is my favourite design. Qatar supreme committee trolling the world!”
The Al-Janoub stadium hosted seven matches during the tournament, starting with France’s 4-1 win over Australia. Its final match was the World Cup last-16 clash between Croatia and Japan, which ended 1-1.
The capacity of the arena is expected to be reduced to around 20,000 once the tournament is over.
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